Mad cow disease could spread through urine, Swiss study

Researchers from the University Hospital of Zurich have found that prions can be spread through urine. Prions are proteins that cause mad cow disease, CJD and scrapie.

You can read about this study in the journal Science.

Lead researcher, Adriano Aguzzi, said that prions could be found in the urine of scrapie infected mice with kidney inflammation. Mice without kidney inflammation (infected with scrapie) had no prions in their urine.

Hence, they concluded that prions could be transmitted through urine.

Before this study, it was thought that the only way to infect an animal or human with BSE or CJD is through contaminated foods or feeds.

Perhaps we should monitor the urine, not just animal remains, say the researchers.